Sufi Shrines in India

The Dargah…a sacred space set in white marble, a tomb dominated by a towering dome in which a saint, a Wali, rests.

Turbaned dervishes, fakirs, wandering monks, spiritual guides (pirs) accompanied by their disciples, the poor, peasants, villagers, bedraggled beggars, the homeless and the hungry all come to bend in respect before the tomb. One encounters princes, nawabs, repentant bandits, rich merchants, industrialists, artists, poets and women draped in veils, all absorbed in reading from The Book… All are pilgrims; some have come from far.

The Dargah is a place where one comes to find peace. It is living proof of a way of thinking, of a philosophy and a faith that, from medieval to contemporary India, addresses itself to all men's hearts. For the simple reason that Sufism accepts everyone. Thousands of visitors come to the Dargah. The great majority is Muslim, but Sikhs, Hindus, Jains and Christians come as well. All are welcome, all worthy of receiving the saint's blessing, all allowed to lighten their burden and to sit by the tomb to be enveloped in its grace.

Going to the Dargah is a response to the calling of the Other World, to the calling of the Sufi saint, mediator of the hereafter, whose pure soul rejoices in the Divine light. He has within himself a power that comes from God and this power is given freely to whoever asks for it.

The Dargah is therefore a place for all prayers: do'a, fateha, namaz. Individually or collectively, whispered or psalmodized, the prayer of gratitude or the supplication of forgiveness hangs on all lips. It springs from the throat of the qawwal singer, it is the cry of the woman in trance, it is the dance of the enraptured devotee, and it is in tears. It accompanies every gesture as Bismillah, "God bless you." It introduces every encounter as Asalam 'alikum, "May peace be with you." It punctuates every greeting as Do'a hia apki, "May my prayer be with you."

The Sufi saint is not dead; he is behind a veil and his aura embraces everyone who approaches him. One comes and talks to him. If one cannot, one writes to him or simply tears a piece of clothing that is then hung to the moucharabieh. Responding to this gesture, the saint will cure the sick child, lessen suffering, rectify injustice, save from despair, chase an evil spirit, heal the body or heal the mind.

It is the duty of the saints to hear and answer prayers. The cult of the Dargah has survived for more than nine centuries and is still growing, despite criticism of being a deviant form of idolatry.

Sufism, born from the heart of Islam, speaks of a God of mercy compassionate to man. Its message of love was spread through the world by the immortal poets, mystics and masters from Iran, Turkey, Egypt and India: Mawlana Rum, Junyad, 'Attar, Ghauz-e 'Azam, Mo'inuddin, Qutbuddin, Nizamuddin…and their numerous disciples.

Each Dargah tells of a Sufi lineage (silsila), a teaching and a practice. But it is foremost a place that recalls an alliance: the pact between the Divine and his creation. One comes to it as one would come to a spring to quench one's thirst. Leaving behind intelligence and reason, one comes with innocence.